I wrote about my alternative path in education, skipping high school and going straight to college and taking several opportunities to travel and live abroad, for Maya Frost's new book
Global Student. It is receiving a lot of press already - check out this USA Today link! http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-08-college-book_N.htm
And a Boston Globe book review:
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/06/07/new_global_student_you_majored_in_what_how_to_love_provide_different_ways_of_learning/